U.S. Producer Prices Rise 0.6% in April

Jump Suggests Inflation Could Be Primed to Pick Up

WASHINGTON—The prices U.S. companies are paid for goods and services rose sharply last month, an early sign inflation may be picking up from historically low levels.

The producer-price index for final demand, which measures charges for everything from gasoline to accounting services, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in April from a month earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday. That marked the biggest jump since September 2012....